Posts Tagged ‘orange’

I’ve always wanted what my hairdresser and I called “mermaid hair”. In other words, hair long enough to provide a substantial amount of modestly, should one be inclined. For when the apocalypse vaporizes fabric, or something like that.

In December, I willingly had about 6 or 7 inches cut off, the health of my hair required it. That’s what it feels like to take a bunch of steps backwards. What’s the opposite of mermaid hair? Billy Idol hair? Ok, so not quite that drastic but somewhere in the ho-hum middle.

I have resisted the urge for a maintenance trim since December. Tenacity and laser-sharp focus on the end results at it’s finest. Professional advice carelessly tossed by the wayside. It’s my hair, after all. And as my sister said, if you want you hair to grow out, you really have to stop cutting it.

This coming Friday, I’m scheduled for the trim. All this to say, yes, my hair is up because it has looked better, and in a very short while, it will again.

I’ll just distract you with my mermaid nail polish until then. Look, squirrel!

Let’s face it, I haven’t just slipped from grace, I’ve tanked. Well, only as it pertains to blogging regularly. I have my reasons, sure. Such as, having a dog which leads to why I’m wearing pants a lot these days. I dress in anticipation of what the day holds for me, like walking her daily every afternoon on one of the trails nearby. Sometimes it’s not all that exciting, however, working from home hasn’t stopped me from caring.

I may not have the bandwidth to post as regularly but having fun with outfits is an integral part of my life, not a phase. Here’s a little recap. You need proof, after all. But first, this:

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Being a woman of ”a certain age”, (45! Woohoo!), I’m starting to get annoyed at all the age-appropriate style advice in women’s magazines. No more short mini-dresses? Why not? I like my legs just fine, thanks. No more obnoxiously bright neons pants paired with an equally bright top? I’m not sure I like this advice at all. Here’s what I have to say: Ignore all of it. ALL. Wear what makes you happy. Skirt too short? Heels to high? Too much cleavage showing? I don’t care. Squeeze yourself into a pair of leopard-spotted pants, you hot mama, you. Rock them to work if it puts a smile on your face.

Let the real old farts tsk… tsk… behind your back while you are living your life exactly as you wish. The most flattering thing a woman can ever wear, the one thing that looks good rain or shine, day or night, is her smile. Her genuine, life-loving smile. So, if what you put on today is wrong by every standard but it makes you happy, and if that happiness translates into a smile, that’s all the style advice you’ll ever need.

Go on, beautiful. Wear whatever you feel like wearing, just as long as it makes you happy.

One of my closest friends called me the other day, my husband and I were in the car driving home. Our car had just decided to make an unsavory alarming sound, probably due to some after-market install. I couldn’t really talk over it and told my friend I’d call him right back. As soon as we got home my husband started investigating the problem while I unloaded the car. I had been at a design conference for two days in San Francisco, literally one block from Sephora. I had stopped in on the way back home to pick up a gift for a couple friends. And myself, apparently.

Unloading the car is handled one of two ways in my household. Based on the day of the week, I either dump everything on the bench by the front door and ignore until the next day or I meticulously put everything in its rightful place. On this particular Friday I chose the latter. Let me elaborate on the meticulous part — it involves the trying on of suitable purchases, such as new clothes or make-up. My reality is often intermingled with such fantastic interruptions. I had given in to the temptation of a natural eyeshadow and blush kit that barely cost twice as much as the single eyeshadow from Make Up For Ever that I normally buy. Impulse shopping at its finest.

While taking the kit out of its box, I found myself mesmerized by the silver shades and gave them a try. One thing led to another, close to an hour flew by. As I found myself snapping a picture of it to share on Instagram I remembered my friend in New York. I called him back immediately and explained the series of events that led to the delay. “I was playing with make-up and I forgot to call you back.” As we FaceTimed each other on our phones, both of us laying down — he on his bed and me on a cozy rug in my bedroom — I delved further into the female psyche, specifically mine.

Make-up and fashion are not just a form of expression, they are also a form of escape and fantasy. Those of us with a passion for one or the other, or both, understand the transformative powers they each possess. I am not a celebrity with a perfect life, I’m a woman in her forties who celebrated her birthday with tea instead of a proper cocktail because of the lingering effects of having pneumonia. I’m a woman who’s a little exhausted by the demands of work. Getting lost in the moment of make-up is a brief escape — I admit to getting completely absorbed by the precision of applying silver eyeshadow on the inside and mid-section of my eye lids, (but definitely not by the lashes or the outer areas, that wouldn’t work.) It’s similar to junk TV for my brain. There’s a Zen to it. While I pride myself in my ability to multi-task on a day-to-day basis, when I get lost in putting an outfit together or working out a new way to wear eye make-up, I get lost in the moment.

Being able to escape reality is important, it’s especially important to me to be cognizant of it. I like forgetting my troubles. I’m not neglecting them, I’m taking a break. As children we played make-believe and it was perfectly acceptable. We nourished our creative sides with fantasy, unknowingly developing problem-solving skills by thinking outside the box. It didn’t matter that we lived in an apartment. There was a farm with a dog and a cow in the bedroom, right next to the castle to the left of the bed. Imagination knows no bounds. I work in a creative field, interestingly enough, the most demanding aspects requiring imagination are not specific to design. They are more often called upon to solve logistical problems, whether it be scheduling or process driven. They further come in handy with regards to working with others.

If I can imagine the way someone else thinks and processes information, I am better able to speak their dialect. That’s a very adult thing to do with imagination. Then there’s make-up. If I can play with silver eye-shadow and make my eyes sparkle, I feel I sparkle. It doesn’t have to be a conscious intention, it just happens. The only thing I need to be conscious of is whether the transformative power is positive or negative. My friend understood and forgave me for getting side-tracked. I sent him off to his slumber with a kiss and plans to visit the following week.

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Check back in on Friday, November 11 for Fashion Beauty Friend Friday. The visual topic is for us bloggers to show a picture of ourselves without any make-up on. See me in my natural state.

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I may have only been pattern mixing in the last year but I feel like a pro with some of my bolder choices. What made this outfit work was that I kept the palette limited to only a few primary colors: grey and red-orange. The use of grey helped neutralize the impact of the red tones. Try it out! And then leave me your url in the comment section so that I can see how you styled your patterns. Remember, you’re even more beautiful when you’re having fun!

That’s right, I’m going on vacation and will out next week but I’ve got some great bloggers to represent in my absence. Do come by for a visit and say “hi”. In the meantime, say “hello” to my new hair.

It’s not so blonde anymore. It’s blonde, pink and orange.

I had to do it. Nicole of Graph Paper Heart did this beautiful color for me, I’d been wanting to add pink into my hair for so long and had chickened out for fear of ruining it.

No more fear! I love it. We’ve been darkening the roots with a deep mahogany recently for contrast. She weaved in the bright orange and pink alternately around my face and a little on the sides, leaving the utmost top layer blonde. It all blends well for a really beautiful effect. And if I really feel like going wild, I can pin the blonde part back leaving a shock of color.

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I’m posing quite proudly next to my new and improved flower bed, the dahlias have come back to life since I fearlessly captured their aggressors: The snails.

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To offset the shock of my newfound hair color at work, I played down the style of both my hair and my outfit slightly. In fact, I barely wore any jewelry. It helped me ease into it gently—at least as gently as one can go with bright orange and pink streaks in their hair. I still opted for a bright top, wearing neutrals would only have drawn more attention to the contrasting color of my hair.

When trying something new, it’s not a bad idea to create a little more comfort for yourself by underplaying other elements. Sometimes having everything be in the spotlight can feel like too much. Find your comfort zone and ease into it. You want to have fun with it, after all.

Your personal style should be fun for you, you’re beautiful when you’re happy!

I never truly realize my full potential for clumsiness until I attempt to paint my own nails. It would seem that the years of practice are totally lost on me, I still awkwardly get nail polish outside of the nail bed. I still proceed to slam into every surface before the nails have dried. I try to eat food. I do.

I stuck my hand earlier into a bowl of tortilla chips.

That’s why I usually opt to pay a professional. But things are looking up, my friends. I might have finally found the nail polish for me; the one that loves me back. Crackle. Camouflage for the clumsy. I can see this action making a repeat performance. I even think that next time around it will look better, they say practice makes perfect.

I had to buy a few things to do this right. I needed a base coat, top coat and color dryer. Here’s a list of all the products I used:

Sally Hansen Advanced Hard as Nails Nylon + Retinol Strengthener

Sally Hansen Insta-Dri in Snappy Sorbet

Sally Hansen Crackle Overcoat in Fuchsia Shock

Sally Hansen Nail Shine Miracle Top Coat

Sally Hansen Dry Kwik Nail Color Dryer

I basically laid a single coat of everything listed, in that order. Next time I will put two coats of the bottom color to make it richer. If you go back and look at the first picture there’s no top coat and the crackle is matte which, in hindsight, I think looks pretty cool. Next time, no shiny top coat on top of the crackle. Maybe I’ll try the shiny top coat before applying the matte crackle for extra contrast. I love playing with contrasting textures. What do you think, shiny or matte crackle?

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I’ve shared my DIY manicure with you for Fashion Beauty Friend Friday, theme courtesy of Miss Rockwell of Lifestyles of the Thrifty and Shameless. Check out all the participants by going to her blog. I can’t wait to see what the other ladies have done, I just know there’s a lot of creativity out there. I’m just getting started, there may be hope for me yet.

Thank you Katy of Modly Chic for encouraging this topic. Friend Friday is an opportunity for fashion and beauty bloggers to share their thoughts on a specific topic and read what others have to say on that same topic. For more information, check out Modly Chic and welcome to the wonderful world of blogging!

Now, get your mind out of the gutter! This is my story. I have never worn shorts except for running, outdoor park and beach days or hanging around the house. This is relatively new to me, I was initially inspired by a picture that Stephanie of The Loudmouth posted of herself some months back. All of a sudden, it seemed like everyone was wearing shorts but me. Alright, not everyone but it was my perception at the time. I decided to give it a shot.

I first wore them on a date with my hubby, it seemed like a pretty safe way to dip my toes. Next, I wore them to a friend’s party. One thing led to another and next thing you know, I finally did the unthinkable, I wore a pair to work last week. I had attempted the week before and chickened out. Yes, I do that sometimes.

It might come as a surprise that I had to really push myself to do this given that my outfit choices are not particularly conservative. I wear a lot of bright colors and I have tattoos but this was just new to me. I saw it as a way to step outside my comfort zone, something I’m actually comfortable doing. What I mean is that I like the challenge of pushing myself to do something new, something different. There’s a lot of personal growth to gain from taking chances. It’s easy to play it safe, I fall prey to complacency often.

Then I see someone wearing shorts and I’m intrigued and inspired; I know I must push myself repeatedly in this life and step up. It is only through trial and error that we get to realize our potential.

It isn’t the initial fear or hesitation, it isn’t the discomfort that defines us, it’s what we do with it when we experience it. How are you defining yourself?

There’s a song on Paul Simon’s Graceland album called “Further to Fly”. I think of it as my personal anthem. As long as I can dream, as long as the cycle of life continues, there is further to fly. Now I’m wearing shorts with the sass of someone who’s done it all along. You know I’m keeping an eye out for that next challenge. Whether it be sartorial, physical or professional, it will inevitable be very personal.

Won’t you join me?

Send me your photos of how you’re rockin’ the shorts and in two weeks, on Monday, August 15, I will post them and link back to you. My goal is to inspire you to challenge yourself and share with others how you’ve done it. Every time we push ourselves, even doing something as simple as wearing something we don’t typically wear, we grow as individuals. You’re helping me grow, let’s do this together.

I’m calling out to all you lovelies who are already wearing shorts to show us how you do it and I’m calling on those of you who don’t wear shorts to go for it, dip your toes in that water, the temperature is just right. Send me your photos at flyingfabu [at] gmail [dot] com by Friday, August 12, with a little blurb either about your outfit or the experience of wearing the shorts. Let’s make this happen!

You’ve heard me tout the fine art of creating balance and harmony with regards to assembling outfits and accessorizing. In fact, I talked about it a bit a few days ago here. As it turns out, this gal believes there are exceptions.

I’m wearing so many accessories today it should be called “excessorizing!”

I’ve got the whole enchilada going on: an ethnic necklace, a long beaded necklace, long feather earrings, thin woven bracelets and a wooden ring. I supposed I could have added a tiara to really top things off but I don’t have one. Oh, but if I did… So, why would I tell you one thing and do another?

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It’s still about balance. The blouse I’m wearing is long and flowing with a dark blue pattern over bright orange. The short necklace is really the one you notice, it lays on the open area of the “V”.

The longer beaded necklace almost acts as a trim by following the shape and cut of the front almost perfectly. I used it the way I would a scarf. The long feather earrings blend into my hair and are not very visible. The three woven bracelets are incredibly thin and light, they connect to the wooden ring subtly. If I had short hair and wore a plain lightly colored top, it would be total chaos. Instead, I played with the visual noise to create subtle points of interest.

This is a photo of the wooden ring I wore today which I posted previously on Instagram. Instagram is a totally fun photo capturing and sharing app for iPhones. If you’re already on, let me know so that I can check out your pictures. I’m “flyingfabu”.

I spent a most delightful weekend camping with friends. There were so many beautiful flowers on the grounds, I couldn’t help but be inspired when I got dressed this morning.

I found this dress a few weeks ago in a consignment shop and immediately fell in love with the bold colors and the clean, simple line. I’m considering altering it, I don’t often wear dresses this long. On the other hand, it’s nice to have a dress that can withstand a windy day.

The flower design was very reminiscent of Marimekko designs. The dress is from a Netherlands label I hadn’t heard of before, Jackpot. They seem to have pretty cute clothes and the quality of the dress is very good.

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Hey, check it out! I finally added a Pinterest button to my sidebar. Now you can follow my boards and see what inspires me. I love discovering what others are pinning, from new color palettes to cool DIY projects. If you’re already on there, let me know so that I can follow you.

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I had about four other cardigans and lightweight jackets that matched but in the end I choose the one in a color and fit that didn’t fight the bold colors of the floral print. I had the same dilema with belts but the skinniest of red belts did the trick. When wearing a bold item it’s often best to accessorize in a manner than enhances and supports the eye-catching piece rather than take away from it.

In the field of package design, which is my chosen profession, we pay very special attention to communication hierarchy. What this means is that items are defined in level of importance ahead of time and the balance of the design is what creates this visual hierarchy; what draws your eye to the most important thing first, then to the second, etcetera. The same applies in everyday fashion. What is the one item or accessory that will draw the eye in? Everything else you choose to wear should help support that impression rather than creating visual chaos.

You know what’s awesome? Having a dentist located a block away from some of my favorite stores. Actually, it would be more awesome not having to keep going to the dentist, but if one really must go, Dr. Patel at Green Dentistry is really cool.

You know what’s even more awesome? My new $20 orange sandals, that’s what!

I popped into one of my favorite shop for some “toothache therapy”, having just had another crown done. There is no doubt in my mind that I have spent more on dental work in the last decade than on clothes but that’s a whole other topic. I found these little tangerine gems in a bin just waiting for me. It’s not often that I’m lucky with shoes, especially on a whim. These fit perfect, the price was right and really, how could I resist bright orange?

I couldn’t and now my feet have new best friends.

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Sometimes all you need is one little ounce of happiness in the form of color. Rather than match my shoes to other colors in my outfit, I thought it would be fun to let them shine all on their own by pairing them with navy blue. I love the way this turned out. Blue and orange go so well together.

This is another way to add more color into your wardrobe. A fun pair of shoes worn with neutrals such as grey, black or creams can help you break through the scary barrier of wearing bright colors. Have you committed to implementing more color into your wardrobe? Not like I’m trying to talk you into it or anything. (Yes, I am!)

If you don’t believe how good color can be, check out how these ladies are doing it. Suze of Miss Vinyl Ahoy and Emma of Daily Clothes Fix are at the top of my list. They do things with color that make my eyes and soul so happy!

I posted the first part of packing for vacation yesterday when I found my missing Friend Friday piece. Here lies the moment of truth. If you didn’t catch my updates on The House in the Clouds’ facebook page, following is a quick recap of the last three weeks.

We started our honeymoon in Paris and stayed with one of our best friends for five days. (I’m going to be writing about my observation of Parisian style on Style Pint’s blog soon and will keep you posted, check her out in the meantime.) Paris was warm, we walked a lot as expected. It was an easy city to dress for. Our schedule was nicely paced and our dinners were fantastic.

We then flew to Barcelona, picked up our rental car and drove to Calellea, in Costa Brava. The bed and breakfast run by British ex-pats was absolutely charming, I think of this as our first honeymoon suite. The small coastal town was beautiful and dreamy, there’s nothing better to me than the Mediterranean Sea and coastline. Light rains fell intermittently though the days were still warm. We spent one day exploring a coastline trail and subsequent little pockets of beaches.

After Costa Brava, we hit the road and spent the next week driving through the Pyrenees. The temperature cooled as most of Europe was hit with a cold and wet spell. The rain didn’t stop us from hiking twice but it did get us sopping wet! I dressed for comfort on days mostly spent in the car.

We wrapped up our northernly drive with a few days in Gascony for some Armagnac tasting. We stayed at a bed and breakfast in a former mansion. The food was divine and the service was attentive and inviting. One day was devoted to visiting a couple local producers and tasting their wares. This experience was truly unique, the proprietors were warm and welcoming, spending hours showing us around. The weather was still cool and drizzly throughout, I found it challenging to dress in my summer clothes and kept bundling up with scarves.

Hitting the Basque country, we made a quick detour to see the Guggenheim in Bilbao before dropping off our car at the airport and returning to Barcelona. The next four days were spent walking the city, taking in the sights and being enthralled with Gaudi’s architectural genius along with staying up late. The weather was hot and the style was casual. The cool and wet spell was finally over.

After four days, we caught a plane back to Paris, had one last mind-blowing dinner with our friend and flew home the next day.

Here’s what made it into the suitcase:

Dresses, 3: 2 short, 1 maxi. Report: the purple stretch jersey dress was perfect for wearing alone in Barcelona and layering with leggings on a cooler day in Gascony. The lightweight orange summer dress was perfect for Calellea and Barcelona, it was pretty but casual enough for the coast. I’m sad to report the maxi dress never made an appearance. It was too casual for nice evening dinners and would have been great for Barcelona. I admit I forgot about it on the couple days it would have been perfect for.

Shorts, 1: Dressy cotton. Report: I dressed up these shorts a few times, they worked well for days in Paris and Barcelona, and again on our last night’s dinner in Barcelona.

Pants, 3: Cargo, seersucker, stretchy. Report: The cargo pants were worn numerous times in Paris and through the cooler days. The seersucker pants were so versatile that I wore them in every city. The stretchy wide-leg pants were my go-to pants for the day-long drives and long flights because they were so comfortable with their four-way stretch.

Tank tops, 2: 1 plain solid, 1 dressy. Report: The casual solid salmon tank got a lot of wear, both alone and under one of the looser-fitting tops. The dressy pink lace tank top was only worn once.

Scarves, 2: 1 warm, 1 lacy. Report: I got a lot of mileage out of the warmer shawl but only wore the lacy scarf once or twice.

Tops, 3: 1 print t-shirt, 1 over-size sequined t-shirt, 1 tunic. Report: The white t-shirt with a blue floral print was a favorite. I washed it twice, it looked good with practically everything. The over-size sequined t-shirt was worn numerous times, too. Same with the tunic. I kept rotating shirts during the cold wet week through the Pyrenees, it was just too cold to wear dresses.

Cardigans, 3: 1 lightweight lacy, 1 cashmere, 1 cotton kimono style. Report: The lightweight salmon cardi got plenty of wear but I only wore the orange kimono style once. The cashmere aqua cardi was worn every day that it wasn’t hot. How am I not sick of it yet? You’ve probably seen me wear it all winter, it’s the softest, warmest thing.

Shoes, 4: 1 sandal, 1 dressy shoe, 1 flat comfort shoe, 1 flat stylish shoe. Report: The flat stylish sequined shoe gave me a blister on day one which made wearing the dressy shoe really painful, I tucked the dressy shoes away for the rest of the trip. The black Dansko sandals were my favorites, the straps across the tops were adjusted according to the heat factor and foot swelling. The flat comfort shoes were the warmest to wear during the cold spell but were too hot and binding on the hot days.

There you have it. Overall, I did very well and got a lot of wear out of almost everything. At the last minute I threw a pair of thick black yoga pants into my suitcase, I still had so much room to spare. They turned out to play a very crucial role when hiking in the rain, I had only brought a pair of lightweight hiking capris and would have been freezing all day. I also added a couple nicer dresses which I wore several times.

The winners: The purple jersey and orange lightweight dresses were tied. The seersucker and stretchy pants were tied, also. The white t-shirt won out over the other t’s, it was polyester and dried very quickly after being hand-washed which kept it fresh. Overall, the cashmere aqua cardi and black sandals took the prize.

The losers: The maxi dress, the dressy high heels and the lacy scarf were lowest on the totem pole. I wouldn’t have missed them. Not too shabby for trying to plan for so much diversity in activities and weather.

For more general and location photos of our travels, check out The Husband’s blog. He painstakingly documented regularly with a brief description and a handful of photos. It was truly incredible!

I also want to extend a special thanks to my guest bloggers, it was such a relief knowing you were in good hands in my absence. I hope they’ve made new fans out of you!

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About me

I'm a passionate style blogger with a penchant for color, a love of details and a desire for comfort. I believe you can look good on any budget. Perpetuating positive body image is dear to me, my wish is to inspire you the same way that I've been inspired by others. Hope you enjoy the diversity of my musings.